In this episode of HR Engage, host Jonathan Mamaril sits down with Tanya Hibbard, a “pracademic” who has steered people strategy everywhere from high-stakes automotive showrooms to remote mine sites and, most recently, oil-and-gas operations. Tanya unpacks how turning HR into a profit centre helped her rise from coordinator to multi-site leader, why mapping every stakeholder (even the finance team you forgot last time!) is non-negotiable, and how she’s building a first-of-its-kind Aboriginal workforce program six-and-a-half hours south of Darwin. In this conversation you’ll learn:Commercial HR 101: How lean automotive margins taught Tanya to speak the language of dollars and KPIs—and why executives finally listened when the numbers hit the screen. Career agility: Moving from car dealerships across Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane to heavy-industry teams in the Bowen Basin, Hunter Valley and PNG, then pivoting to oil & gas without missing a beat. Building inclusive pipelines: The inside story on launching an Aboriginal workforce initiative in Elliott, NT, and the community partnerships making it stick. Practical wisdom for every HR level: From public-speaking hacks that stop the shakes to the stakeholder checklist that saves projects—and reputations. Future-proofing the profession: Why HR needs more gender balance, and how technology’s march risks eroding the human connections that make workplaces thrive. If you’re an early-career HR pro hunting for confidence, a seasoned leader chasing sharper commercial impact, or anyone curious about people strategy at the coalface (sometimes literally), this episode is your roadmap. Produced and published by Law Firm Marketing experts, Practice Proof

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